Musical Will Be Filmed, Not Live Performance
Instead of having the regular live performance of the musical this year, it will be a filmed performance to be viewed at a later date.
This year’s performance of the musical required multiple adaptations, according to musical director Andrea Moser.
“Instead of rehearsing 4 nights a week, students learn their material on their own during the week and we have a long ‘film shoot day’ on Sundays,” Moser said.
Having cast members learn their role from their home and by themselves is different from the previous years, and a change that had to be made in order to adapt to the circumstances the musical is working around. Junior Connor Martin, who has the lead role of Prometheus, is adapting to this change.
“One of the biggest process changes is commitment and rehearsal time. This year, the cast is responsible for perfecting their roles throughout the week on their own,” Martin said. “It has definitely been a challenge to have little direction on my role but has given me the opportunity to create my own character with as much time as I feel I need.”
The other major change, besides rehearsals, is the filming process. The musical has not been filmed in the past. Filming the musical happens at HUHS in the West Commons from one to four in the afternoon every Sunday.
To help film the musical, a professional videographer was hired to help film. Helping to film along with the videographer is senior Victoria Burns, who is the student director of the musical.
“We are filming [the musical] scene by scene and then editing it all together,” Burns said. “The filming process is long and a lot of waiting for the actors, but on my end, it is a lot of going over the same stuff over and over again so we can make sure we get a usable take.”
Despite not knowing if or when a student may be quarantined, the cast of the musical has been doing their best to work through the unknowns. Filming on Sundays for four hours with smaller groups of the cast is safer for those involved, and still allows the cast to put on the musical and participate in the experience.
“We never know who will be quarantined,” Moser said. “Those circumstances made things very hard to plan for, but the students have done a great job preparing for rehearsals and performing their best on camera.”
